Mel D. Cole on the lens…
Combat Jack made sure that Peter Oasis left me a ticket to watch the Blackstar performance at Nokia, er, BestBuy Theatre on Saturday. The show was packed wall to wall and there were actually Black folks at this concert. You’d be fair to expect a good amount of white at this show too since Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def) are two of the artists who people proudly rock their backpacks to represent.
The show ran late as I expected since there was a second performance scheduled for after midnight. Local celebrity deejay Envy warmed up the crowd initially before turning over the reigns to Blackstar’s set DJ, J-Rock. The moments of reminiscing going on in these deejay sets almost wore me out to the point I was ready to leave before the featured performers hit the stage.
The amount of music produced within the rap genre over the past 30 years is a stunning collage of the American dream as told thru the words of predominantly young Black men. This shit is our dreams and aspirations and even our fears all wrapped up in a bassy soundbed. Blackstar would be a perfect bookend to the whole rap genre as Talib continues to rappity rap his way thru songs while Yasiin Bey harmonizes and dancehall chants and then maybe raps for a verse or two. Over the course of my life I think I’ve seen these two artists perform together and separately more than any other artists. Whether with the Roots, or at the charity Black August shows or on their own sets I’ve never been disappointed by these artists and Saturday was nothing different. Maybe that was the problem…
I’ve seen so many tremendous sets from these two performers that I’m almost disappointed when they don’t do something mindblowing at every show. Where’s Common. Where’s KanYe? Where’s Q-Tip? Why can’t I simply be satisfied with Blackstar, whose lone album still ranks as possibly the zenith of the genre built on rolling hyperbole? I don’t know what my problem is now because I danced and rapped and clapped and rhymed all the way thru the set. Maybe I’m just indicative of a fanbase who has become spoiled from all the hype?
Go see Blackstar when they are in your town and reminisce on the time when rap music was so new and fresh and unpretentious in your mind.
black star keep shining.
i’ve actually not seen a lot of rap shows. i want to see black star perform (well, really just yasiin bey) before he hides in a hole for the rest of his life.
any good words about their lone album, i share them. and maybe some of the bad ones. that is one of those albums that hit me at the perfect time in my life, for a number of reasons.
Talib something is wrong with his voice it irks me when I hear his rhymes. Mos on the other hand of whatever whatever he wants to be called now is always good. Plus he is a doom stan and is not afraid to take chances all the time with his music. His acting his everything. Dave chappelle said it best the mighty mighty mos.
the title says it all
Couldn’t make it to either show…Hoping to see them live next year if possible…
NAT! i thought I was the only dude that didn’t like Talib Kweli. His voice is the worst!
the dj’s name is actually j-rocc of the world famous beat junkies. I saw Yasiin at a festival in Washington and dude was riffing off that reggae shit and he probably performed probably one of the best rap sets I have ever seen other than too short.
BlackStar were one of the groups who changed how I perceive this hip hop shit, and their lone album was the vehicle for my transformation into this lover of hip hop and not so much these (c)rappers. I’m now officially one of the cranky ol’ heads who reminisces about yesteryear when when I hear (c)rap on the radio.
I appreciate your fandom for these guys, DP, but Talib’s voice is horrible live and Mos has lost ability to connect with a crowd. Its been a minute since I’ve seen a quality show from them. I gave up seeing them live now. BlackStar Blackout started in 2011. And i’ve been to at least a dozen of their shows.
Yeah jerz it’s painful even more so because he is a talented rapper